Photos from 2002 October 13
Today I went hiking in the Blue Mountains around the towns of Katoomba and Leura. Technically, I started hiking in Leura and ended up in Katoomba. It was just spectacular. For most of the day, I only saw a dozen or so people. My chosen route took me back towards the center of town, so the tourist density went up as I went. However, especially when I climbed down into the valley, the paths were delightfully solitary. This is a map of the route I took. The pink and purple lines are where I took a bus. The hostel where Im staying is on the upper left. The green is the path I took on foot. I think I got on the trail about 10:30 am, and I got back to the center of town on the bus about 4 pm.	Here's the path where I started.	And here's the first of *many* views out over the Jamison valley. They're >Blue< Mountains because the eucalyptus trees give off a mist that looks blue in reflected sunlight.	These are the Gordon Falls, where I started my hike. The bus driver had said that two days ago it rained for the first time in eight months, so it seems the drought was not only affecting Queensland. In any case, I bet the various falls I saw today would look even more stunning if they were running at full capacity.
This is a panorama view of what the valley looks like from the Gordon Falls lookout point.	Those really are huge rainforest trees down below there. It's a *long* way down to the valley floor.	I kept taking pictures of the path, because it was just so beautiful.	An interesting rocky bluff.
An interesting fungus.	Some interesting rocks.	More path. You'll be seeing a lot of this kind of shot. In this one, I was trying to capture how it looked like a shadowy tunnel with a bright egress at the end, but I don't think it quite worked.	Another spectacular view out over the valley.
These are >Bridal Veil Falls<. I'll explain why they're called that later. If you've still got the map open, this photo was taken at the >Bridal Veil View<. Now, the map says there's a cave there, but I never saw any signs for any cave. If its there, there's no path to it. There's no cableway over there, either. But I digress...	This is standing above the falls, looking back towards the lookout where the last photo was taken. See the metal stairs to the platform in the upper left corner of the photo? That's where I took the previous photo.	These are the Leura Cascades, as seen from the bottom.	Another view out into the valley.
The bottom of the cascades are near the top of the Bridal Veil Falls, so here's a shot looking down on them.	Another look back towards the lookout. You can still make out the metal staircase in the upper left. I remember when I was standing over there, I noticed a couple people standing on the platform where I am standing as I take this picture.	THere were some fantastic plants around. When you get down into the forest, you really feel like you've stepped a few million years back in time. I kept expecting a dinosaur to step out of the ferns.	So, now I'm at the *bottom* of the Bridal Veil Falls. (Thank you, Grover). Now I can explain the name. People felt that the drifting mist off these falls looked like a bridal veil. Hence the name.
Another shot of the misty veil. I like the lens flare on this one. :-) Actually, I've heard two explanations of the name now. The other story goes that if there's enough water, instead of getting the little trickle off to the left, the water fans out over the whole rock, and looks like a bridal veil cascading down a brides back. Pick whichever story you like.	Some rushing water below the falls.	Some interesting tree roots.	I got so sick of stairs. I took the path that said >For experienced hikers only<, because I wanted to get to the bottom of the falls, but it did mean a whole heck of a lot of stairs, up and down and up and down. But I was in no rush, so I just took my time and drank a lot of water.
Back up at the top again.	Some interesting tree roots.	Some interesting twisted trees.	A wild butterfly. This photo was taken not far from Echo Point. After this point, it got so built up, and even crowded, that it really felt like a waste of time to take pictures. Tomorrow I'll head back down into the valley, and I expect to see some more amazing views.
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